maritime activities economy and social customs of the muslims of ...

percolles, rumals, saucer guntees, sadaram - cheras, sallampore, sail cloth etc.'P'.There
wen countless calico producing centres in Ramnad, Tinnelveli and Thanjavur. There were
about 1023 looms and 4000 weavers at Nagore19\ There were about 980 looms in
Ramanathapuram.
The company encouraged the local weaving sector upto the first quarter of the
nineteenth century. Huge advances were distributed to the weavers. Some special concessions
were extended to the weavers who supplied textiles exclusively to the company and they
were designated ar company weaven. They were exempted from loom tax and their land,
were moderately assessed. There were a large numbers of Muslim weavers in Ramanathapuram
and Thirunelveli districts200.
The first half of the nineteenth century witnessed a remarkable change in the character
of trade between lndia and England. Hence forward, lndia began to recieve those very
commodities as imports as hitherto shipped in her export trade, i.e., cotton manufactures
and sugar. The Lankashire cotton industry so developed that by the middle of the century
the cotton piece goods from there started to invade the Indian market. It represented about
the total import of foreign merchandise in IndiaZm. Raw cotton was exported for Lankashire
textile industry and the finished products came to Indiazoz. To feed their home market with
superior varieties of cotton, cultivation of new varieties of cotton was encouraged in many
parts of Coromandel. By 1823, except the Madras long cloth, all other piece goods lost
market in Englandzo3. Company's export trade in textiles was ruined. By the Charter Act
of 1833 the Company ceased to be a trading corporation. The Act drove the last nail in to
the coffin of the East lndia Company's trade and as well as the cotton handloom industry of
the Coromandel2M. The weavers were thrown into misery and their industries nearly
ruined. Among them there were many Muslim weavers on the coastal towns.
By the end of eighteenth centuy the free English merchants grew. The control of
trade got transferred from covenented servants to the free merchants. Trade firms took up
the place of loosely associated individuals. This was a real challenge to the individual local
traders both Muslims and HindusZob. Joint stock companies were formed with influencia!